From left, Elaine Sheldon, David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin are among the directors of documentaries featured at the inaugural Foxfire Film Festival Sept. 11-14 in Wheeling’s Towngate Theatre. (Photos Provided)

WHEELING — In putting together the inaugural Foxfire Film Festival — set for Sept. 11-14 at Wheeling’s Towngate Theatre — co-founders Kristin Seibert and Molly Hughes said that they didn’t want to make the festival too big for their maiden voyage.

“The first thing we said was, ‘Let’s start small so we can make it really good,'” Seibert said.

The two missed the mark on staying small, to the benefit of those attending next week’s event.

An international slate of documentarians, including Academy Award nominees and winners, will present films over the four-day festival, showcasing a fleet of award-winning pieces. The mission, Seibert said, is to open minds and show that a top-line festival can be found in the Friendly City.

Before Seibert and Hughes collaborated on the Foxfire Film Festival, both had separately pushed for a festival to be born in Wheeling. Then, Seibert got a call from Oglebay Institute and Towngate Theatre Performing Arts Director Tim Thompson suggesting that the two join forces.

“We met and we instantly clicked,” Seibert said. “We both just love film and what film can do to bring people together and have that shared experience.”

What came from the partnership was the Foxfire Film Festival, which will present five long-form documentaries and five short-form documentaries over four days, along with a pair of workshops led by award-winning artists and the culmination of a student film competition.

Both Seibert and Hughes have strong connections in the film world. Seibert started her career developing screenplays for studios and managing the careers of various screenwriters and directors. She also has produced two independent feature films, “The Pledge” and “A Christmas Tree Miracle.” Hughes is a production designer and art director with more than 20 years in the film industry who has worked on films including “The Bourne Legacy,” “The Fault In Our Stars” and six of the movies in the “Harry Potter” series.

“Molly gets the credit for getting these movies,” Seibert said. “She and I watched a ton of documentaries. She pulled together these films and we both worked on getting people here for the festival.”

Several of the key players in the Foxfire lineup will be in Wheeling to discuss their documentaries. The opening night red carpet screening on Thursday will be “King Coal” by Elaine Sheldon, a West Virginia native who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for “Heroin(e).” “King Coal” takes a look at the culture around coal mining in Appalachia.

On Saturday, the producer of “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” Helle Faber, will hold a Q&A session after the screening. The documentary chronicles the activities of Ukrainian primary school videographer and events coordinator Pavel Talankin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Along with the documentaries are two Saturday workshops: “Storytelling Behind the Lens: Cinematography and Photography in Storytelling,” led by cinematographer Curren Sheldon and award-winning photographer Rebecca Kiger, and “Scoring the Truth: The Director-Composer Collaboration in Documentary Film,” led by director Matthew Galkin and his long-time composer/collaborator James Lavino.

“It’s an experience that not many people get,” Seibert said, “potentially having a one-on-one with filmmakers where their films are on Netflix and maybe an Oscar contender.”

The weekend concludes with the presentation of the finalists for Foxfire’s student short form film competition. Seibert said there were 19 submissions from high school and college students in West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania, with a $2,500 first prize at stake.

“It was so wonderful to see people creating something out of what they’re passionate about,” Seibert said. “We have personal stories and educational stories. We were really impressed with the talents in this area.”

As with any first-time endeavor, Seibert said there are both nerves and excitement for what’s to come. But the festival has a strong support base behind it – the volunteers giving their time to help put it together, as well as the sponsors whose generosity has allowed Seibert and Hughes’ concept to take form.

“We just want people to come enjoy themselves,” Seibert said. “That’s our main goal, because we want to bring this back every year.”

Tickets can be purchased at foxfirefilmfestival.com. A number of packages are available, including VIP packages.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Thursday, Sept. 11

• 7 p.m. – Opening Night Red Carpet Screening: “King Coal” by Elaine Sheldon (Q&A with Sheldon immediately following)

Friday, Sept. 12

• 11 a.m. – Screening of “Union” by Brett Story and Steven Maing

• 1 p.m. – Screening of “King Coal”

• 3 p.m. – Screening of “Speak.” by Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman

• 7 p.m. – Screening of “Stories We Carry: A Life in Five Short Films”

Saturday, Sept. 13

• 11 a.m. – Screening of “The Cowboy and the Queen” by Andrea Nevins

• 1 p.m. – Workshop: “Storytelling Behind the Lens: Cinematography and Photography in Storytelling”

• 3 p.m. – Workshop: “Scoring the Truth: The Director-Composer Collaboration in Documentary Film”

• 6:30 p.m. – West Virginia Red Carpet Premiere: “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin (Q&A with producer Helle Faber immediately following)

Sunday, Sept. 14

• 11 a.m. – Screening of “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”

• 1 p.m. – Student Short Film Competition Finalists